Men's lacrosse aims to shoot down the Tigers

Yale may have knocked off Princeton in men's basketball, but it remains to be seen if the Elis can repeat the feat on the lacrosse field. Although Yale's offense must drive the team in the key match against Princeton on April Fool's Day, the defense must find a few more tricks in its bag if the Bulldogs want to trap the fourth-ranked Tigers. The Elis (3-2, 1-1 Ivy) are looking to rebound from a disappointing 12-4 rout at Cornell on Sat., Mar. 25, a game in which the Big Red took a commanding 7-0 lead early on.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH After a tough loss to Cornell, the Elis hope for redemption against Ivy champ Princeton on April Fool's Day.

At Ithaca, Yale gave its worst performance of the young season. In a much-anticipated contest against the 11th-ranked team in the nation, the Elis seemed to leave their energy and focus in New Haven. "It was a combination of a lack of intensity and execution," Coach Mike Waldvogel said. "The entire team was flat. It was a big Ivy League game and you would think that intensity would not be a problem, but it is my responsibility to prevent that."

The Bulldogs' severe ground-ball deficit illustrated their lackluster effort. In this hustle-sensitive category, the Big Red trampled the Elis 45-25. When a team does not pick up ground balls and loses face-offs—Cornell won 15 out of 20—it has far fewer possessions. "We cannot score if we don't have the ball," Patrick Moylan, SY '03, said. Captain Don Gerne, BR '00, felt that the poor performance had more to do with mental errors than physical exertion. "The ground ball battle was huge, but it was not necessarily a result of a lack of effort," Gerne said. "It was a symptom of our overall lack of execution. Cornell's defense was all over the ground balls. Seven of our 15 lost face-offs should have been picked up by us." The defense had particular trouble with Cornell star attacker Sean Steinwald '00. Despite double teams, Steinwald recorded his 16th, 17th, and 18th goals of the year. Goalie Adam Oppenheimer, SM '02, could not pick up the slack for his struggling teammates, stopping only nine of 21 shots, well below his .596 save percentage.

With that loss behind them, the Bulldogs' defense and midfield have to concentrate on containing Princeton's lethal and versatile offense. In a 15-5 win over Rutgers on Sat., Mar. 25, the five-time defending Ivy champ Tigers had nine players score. Attacker Josh Sims '00 flattened the Scarlet Knights with five goals, giving him 13 for the year and Ivy Player of the Week honors. The Tigers have scored 49 goals in four games, compared with the Elis' 39 in five. Princeton has racked up a 50-3 record in the last five years. It will be a tall order for the Elis to come away from New Jersey with their fourth win of the year. "If we play our hearts out and execute, we have a really good chance to win," Moylan said. "We have had two very intense practices this week and we have to keep that [level of intensity] for the rest of the week."

M. Lacrosse

Record: 3-2 (1-1 Ivy) Recent Results: Lost at Cornell, 4-12 Coming Up: Sat., Apr. 1 at Princeton, 1 p.m.

The team's success will have to start with the back line, a group lacking in experience. Aside from 1999 Honorable Mention All-American Gerne, the defense consists of Noah Glass, CC '03, Bill McClelland, DC '02, and Bryan Corey, BK '01, who are starters for the first time in their college careers. Both the talent and greenness of these players have been apparent in the first five games. "They are very good athletes and are learning quickly," Gerne said. "But sometimes we have good stretches and then make a mental error upon which the other team capitalizes. That is where the inexperience shows." Waldvogel agreed with his captain. "Our defense has to play smarter; the intensity is there," Waldvogel said. "Team defense is not a one-on-one game. If one person does not execute, the whole defense struggles."

Compounding the inexperience of the defense is the loss of the 1999 Ivy League Player of the Year, goalkeeper Joe Pilch, SM '99. Pilch was second in the nation with a .661 save percentage. Although Oppenheimer allows two more goals per game, his coach believes that the sophomore is doing a good job. "Adam has played very well at times. It is a hard job replacing Joe. Adam needs to communicate a little better with the defense, but on the whole, he's done a good job," Waldvogel said.

Both Gerne and Waldvogel believe that they have a very good chance against Princeton on April Fool's Day. "We have the talent," Waldvogel said. "We have to execute very well and do the things that we do best. They have some more players on offense but if we play our game, we should do well." Gerne pointed to the need for a greater mental focus. "We have to play a mentally perfect game, which we really haven't done all year," he said. On the day known for unusual events, the Elis winning at Princeton might actually be fitting.

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